The Song of Songs– Mike Bickle
Session 23 The Bridal Seal of Mature Love (Song 8:5-7)Page1
Session 23 The Bridal Seal of Mature Love (Song 8:5-7)
I.introduction
A.Theme of Song 8:5-7: God’s commitment to supernaturally seal our heart with His fiery love.
6 Set Me[Jesus]as a seal upon your heart…its flames are flames of fire… (Song 8:6)
B.This is the pinnacle of the Song and the new covenant (Heb. 10:16). The Bride’s journey begins with a cry for the kisses of God’s Word (Song 1:2) and ends with a seal of fire on her heart.
2Let Him [Jesus] kiss me with the kisses of His mouth [Word]… (Song 1:2)
C.Review from Session 1: The Song of Solomon is an eight-chapter love song. It is interpreted
two ways.
- Natural interpretation: Describes the love story between King Solomon and his bride, the Shulamite maiden. It emphasizes biblical principles that honor the beauty of married love.
- Spiritual interpretation: The love story between King Solomon and his bride symbolizes the spiritual truths in the relationship between King Jesus and His Bride, the Church. This is the interpretation that has been used the most in the last 3,000 years since it was written.
D.Jesus spoke of Himself from all the Scriptures (including the Song) to the Emmaus disciples.
27He [Jesus] expounded…in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Lk. 24:27)
E.The Spirit inspired all Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16). He is loyal to exalt Jesus in all of Scripture.
14“He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (Jn. 16:14)
F.Marriage will cease, but the Word remains forever and will inspire us to love Jesus.
30“In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage…” (Mt. 22:30)
G.The context for understanding God’s seal of fire is found in understanding the Father’s commitment to bring forth an eternal companion for Jesus, a Bride equally yoked to Him in voluntary love. Obedience to Jesus is mandatory, yet love is always voluntary (Phil. 2:9-11).
H.Jesus prayed that His people would love Him in the way the Father loves Him.
26“I…declared Your name…that the love with which You loved Me may be in them…”
(Jn. 17:26)
I.It takes God to love God. We need the Spirit’s supernatural help to love God with all our heart. The anointing to love God is the greatest gift that the Spirit imparts to a believer. The Holy Spirit is the all-consuming fire and the living flame of love that baptizes us with His fiery love.
5The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit… (Rom. 5:5)
16“He [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Lk. 3:16)
J.The 120 believers in the Upper Room received a token of the baptism of God’s fiery love.
3There appeared to them…tongues, as of fire, and…sat upon each of them. (Acts 2:3)
K.The seal of God’s love points to the same truth as the first commandment and union with God’s heart. God will help us to love Him in the way He loves us—with all His heart and strength.
30“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.” (Mk. 12:30)
L.Jesus prayed that our hearts would be one with each other as we are one with His heart. This speaks of our mind and emotions coming into agreement with His in a supernatural way (glory). This happens in part in this age where unbelievers can witness it and in fullness in eternity.
21“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22…the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one…” (Jn. 17:21-22)
M.We must believe that it is the inheritance and destiny of the Church in this age to walk in the two great commandments that call us to love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. We must apply the principles of faith to grow in the anointing of love in our inner man to the full degree that God has determined to give the human spirit in this age.
23“Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be…cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” (Mk. 11:23)
N.We cry, “Lord we want more of You.” Jesus responds by saying, “I want more of you.” This is the spiritual violence of love that Jesus said is required to take the kingdom promises by force.
12“The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Mt. 11:12)
II.Jesus calls us to invite Him to come to us as the jealous Bridegroom
6 Set me[Jesus]as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love [God’s love in you]is as strong as death, [God’s]jealousy as cruel [demanding]as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame. 7Many waters [sin, pressures] cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised. (Song 8:6-7)
A.The Lord spoke to me by His audible voice in July 1988. I was in my office reading Song 8:6 and began to pray, “Jesus seal my heart with Your seal of love.” The Lord said that He would release grace to walk in Song 8:6-7 across the Body of Christ worldwide, and that I was to focus on this theme throughout my ministry. (Itwas also a promise for the IHOPKC movement).
B.God’s love in us is as strong as death; nothing escapes its grasp. God’s love in us is as strong or as comprehensive as death. Nothing in the natural realm escapes the power of death. Its grasp is comprehensive. So also, God’s jealous love will not allow any areas of darkness to escape its grasp. It is “as cruel as the grave,” or as demanding as death.
C.Jesus as the Jealous God wants all of us. We walk with God according to the light He gives us. When we obey that light, the Spirit gives us more to show us how to increase in our love.
5Do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously?” (Jas. 4:5)
D.We must earnestly ask Jesus to come to us as the God of jealous love who demands everything. This is the highest thing that God will give the human spirit in this age.
14“For the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God…” (Ex. 34:14)
E.Jesus wants to reveal Himself to us as more than our savior (forgiver), healer, and master but as the jealous Bridegroom God who will not relent in His pursuit of us until He has all our heart.
III.God’s seal is a flame of divine fire that cannot be quenched
6 Set me [Jesus]as a seal upon your heart…its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame. 7Many waters [sin, pressures] cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it. (Song 8:6-7)
A.In the ancient world, kings put a “seal of wax” on important documents. They encased them with wax then stamped it with the king’s signet ring. They were protected and authenticated by a royal seal. This wax seal spoke of the king’s ownership, protection, and authority. A king’s seal spoke of his guarantee. It was backed up by all the power of his kingdom.
B.Water always puts out fire (unless it is God’s supernatural fire). The enemy will send the waters of temptation, apathy, disappointment, pain, etc., to put this fire out. God’s love poured in our hearts (when continually yielded to) is more powerful than the dark floods of sin and temptation.
C.The seal of fire is the progressive impartation of the Spirit’s power in pouring God’s love into our heart (Rom. 5:5). The seal is our present tense experience in fellowshipping with the Spirit.
13…in whom…having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise… (Eph. 1:13)
IV.we must Set Jesus as the seal on our heart by inviting His presence
A.Jesus calls her to set Him as a seal on her heart. He urges us to cry out to know Him as the God of all consuming love. To set Jesus as the seal on our heart means to invite His fiery presence to touch (seal) our heart. By the very definition of love, we must invite Him. He will not force us into a relationship of voluntary love. He waits until we invite Him in the matters of our heart.
B.Some scholarly commentaries point out that there is uncertainty about the Hebrew pronouns in this passage. From a theological point of view, it is impossible to interpret this passage as the Bride urging Jesus to set her on His heart so that He would begin to love her with fiery love. Jesus loves us with infinite everlasting love (that is not enhanced by us asking Him to do so).
3The Lord has appeared…saying: “…I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jer. 31:3)
C.God requires us to cooperate with Him in the grace of God. This is an expression of His desire for intimate partnership with us. God will not do our part and we cannot do His part. We set Jesus as the seal on our heart by putting on the Lord Jesus (putting on the new man).
14Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh… (Rom. 13:14)
10…put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to…[God’s]image…
(Col. 3:10)
24…put on the new man which was created…in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph. 4:24)
V.The reward of love is found in possessing the ability to love
A.We are the only one who can give God all our love. God will not force us to love Him. It is our gift to Him that we give voluntarily as we cooperate with the Spirit’s work in our life. This is the work of the Spirit in her because it takes God to love God.
B.The highest reward of true love is found in possessing the love itself. Those who are wealthy in love do not look at price tags. Anybody can quit except a person in love. When we are tempted to quit, the obstacle in our path is that we love God. God is raising up a people who will not quit.
7Ifamanwouldgiveforloveallthewealthofhishouse,itwouldbeutterlydespised.(Song8:7)
C.Paul spoke of this love that will pay any price. He laid down his open doors of opportunity.
8I…countall things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ…for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ… (Phil. 3:8)
D.The Spirit is raising up many ministries in the earth that will also focus on making Jesus known as the Bridegroom and the Church as a fully devoted Bride fulfilling the first commandment. Ministries with this focus will function as “friends of the Bridegroom,” preparing the Bride.
29The friend of the bridegroom…rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. (Jn. 3:29)
7“…rejoice…forthemarriageoftheLamb…andHiswifehasmadeherselfready.”(Rev.19:7)
VI.the End-Time Church will be victorious in love
5Who is this coming up[victory] from the wilderness [testing], leaning upon her beloved? I awakened you under the apple tree. There your mother brought you forth… (Song 8:5)
The Bride is leaning upon Jesus as her Beloved, empowered by love and gratitude. The Church ends natural history with a leaning and loving heart, victorious in love. The Spirit prophetically speaks as He declares the Bride’s victory in the end times as she “comes up” in victory in the testing, temptations, and difficulties in the wilderness in this fallen world.
2Those who have…victory[in love] over the beast [Antichrist]…on the sea of glass… (Rev. 15:2)
27…He might present…a glorious church…that she should be holy and without blemish. (Eph. 5:27)
International House of Prayer of Kansas City ihopkc.org
Free Teaching Library mikebickle.org